Entertainment

Facebook Timeline Brand Pages Are Here [PICS]

With Facebook Timeline's takeover of personal profiles complete, the social networking giant is unleashing its latest greatest invention upon brand Pages, too.

Facebook announced on Wednesday morning that Timeline is now live for the first time for some organizations that use Pages. Mashable got the lowdown on what brands can expect in a briefing at the company's Menlo Park headquarters earlier this week.

Much like with profiles, the new platform has the potential for real design beauty, but with the added bonus of multiple publicly-known storylines and angles to draw from. The cover photo can be especially powerful for its ability to display logos, products or personalities. The timeline itself showcases brands' unique stories and identities. Facebook is also introducing some handy new admin capabilities, including the ability to sticky selected pieces of content for seven days.

Timeline for profiles was designed to make Facebook a better medium for individuals to tell the stories that create their identities, and the philosophy for brands is no different, according to Timeline product manager Sam Lessin.

"Organizations have identities too," he said earlier this week.

More than any other facet of the new design, the timeline itself is especially effective at conveying those identities. The timeline of Livestrong's Page that Mashable was shown began with photos of Lance Armstrong bed-ridden with cancer — powerful stuff. Manchester United's timeline points to its rich history, with the first entry dating back to 1878. Brands can also call out specific milestones — a first sale, major acquisition or debut of a hit product, for example — by starring them so they appear double-wide. That exists with personal Timeline profiles already, but can wield special force for brands.

When you visit a brand Page in Timeline layout, the experience becomes more personal. A prominently displayed section on the landing page shows how many of your friends like the brand, as well as your friends' public mentions of related topics.

"The goal is to make Pages more engaging and more social," said Gokul Rajaram, Facebook's product director for ads.

Page administrators have new options at their fingers too. An admin panel hides or expands on command, meaning you don't have to navigate to a separate page to make changes, updates or improvements. The panel includes notifications of activity on your Page and chart-based performance data. Best of all, you can now respond directly to private messages without added hassles or obstacles, a feature also directly accessible from the admin panel.

To see examples of what Timeline has to offer brand Pages, check out the gallery below.

And fear not, nervous admins and traditionalist users: Page administrators have until March 30 to curate their new profiles, then the revamp goes live for everyone.

Do you think Facebook Timeline brand Pages will be successful for organizations? Let us know in the comments.

Mashable
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